Although Walgreens would not confirm to Berkeleyside that it has its eye on the building, several independent sources close to the deal verified that the drugstore giant will be moving in. A contractor who wishes to remain anonymous says he was asked to assess the building for Walgreens, and several remodeling permits for the address have been approved by the City of Berkeley.

The departure of the independently owned Elephant Pharmacy — whose focus on alternative medicine and strong design ethic were deemed a complementary fit in Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto neighborhood — had a significant impact on retail sales in the North Shattuck area. As previously reported on Berkeleyside, sales in that area have fallen by 19.1% over the past two years, largely due to the closing of the pharmacy.